Send some JUSTICE LEAGUE vs SUICIDE SQUAD New Years Cheer to a comic book fan

Provide your friends with some New Years cheer by sending them a Justice League vs Suicide Squad digital card to welcome 2017.  A perfect way to put a smile on the face of a fan of comic book culture and super heroes to start the new year.  Best of all it is FREE to send!  Just CLICK HERE, pick which of DC Comic's two hottest properties, Justice League or Suicide Squad, you want to feature in your card, insert the name of who you want to send it to plus his or her email address and there you go!

On comic book store shelves now is a new weekly mini-series that will be running through January which pits these two teams against one another:

The first major event storyline of DC’s Rebirth era begins with a day Amanda Waller always knew would come: the Justice League discovers the existence of the Suicide Squad! This government-sponsored black-ops team of super-villains with bombs implanted in their brains is obviously a deal-breaker for Earth’s paragons of truth and justice! But you can bet that the Wall and her Task Force X won’t go down without the fight to end all fights in this weekly mini-series! 

Visit comicshoplocator.com to find a comic book store near you.

Metro Detroit LEGO Store Celebrates 20th Anniversary With A Spectacular Star Wars Exhibit

To celebrate its 20th Anniversary at the Somerset Collection, an upscale mall located in the Detroit suburb of Troy, THE LEGO STORE is hosting a spectacular Star Wars event.  LEGO Master Builders from the toy company's corporate headquarters flew into town for a very special project -- to create a massive sculpture of the Millennium Falcon.  This LEGO brick sculpture is on display in the mall's main atrium along with some gigantic TIE Fighters as well.

In addition to taking in the super-sized LEGO models on display, you can also build a FREE miniature TIE Fighter to take home with you as a souvenir of your visit to this spectacular exhibit.  Stop by the Somerset Collection during normal mall hours until October 30th to view the Millennium Falcon, check out displays of Star Wars LEGO toys, and build your own miniature LEGO TIE Fighter.  Plus October 26-29 there will be a FREE laser light show taking place at the exhibit with shows at 8:00 and 8:30 pm each night.

My kids and I really enjoyed stopping by to take in the exhibit.  If you are in the area, I'd encourage you to swing by and check it out for yourself.  Oh yeah, and one other perk...parents get a FREE drink from the Starbucks located next to the exhibit while you are there.  The Force is indeed with us moms and dads at this LEGO Star Wars event.

YOU'VE BEEN BOO'D

**A Geek Daddy received the featured product for free**

We were BOO'D by Sony Pictures and Walmart!  Booing is a Halloween tradition that has been growing in popularity over the last twenty years.  Someone mysteriously leaves you a fun treat around Halloween and you have 48 hours to put together your own creative gift of goodies to BOO someone else.  Our surprise was finding the new Ghostbusters movie, which was just released today on Blu-ray and DVD, along with an assortment of candy from Walmart waiting for my family by the front door this morning.

The GHOSTBUSTERS: ANSWER THE CALL -- EXTENDED EDITION on Blu-ray and Digital HD adds more than 15 minutes of never-before-seen film footage to Director Paul Feig's take on the long awaited next installment of the iconic 1980s era supernatural comedy movie franchise. Academy Award nominee Melissa McCarthy (Best Supporting Actress -- Bridesmaids), Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids), Leslie Jones (Saturday Night Live) and Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live) comprise a new Ghostbusters team who must defend Manhattan from mischievous ghouls who descend on Times Square.  The EXTENDED EDITION Blu-ray and digital download include both the extended edition and original theatrical version as well as 15 deleted, extended or alternate scenes, gag reels, and filmmaker commentaries. It also provides five featurettes that give fans an inside look into the film's supernatural visual effects, the "making of" the ghosts from the film, an in-depth insight into the team's look and weaponry, as well as the casting of Chris Hemsworth as the Ghostbusters' receptionist.

So now that we've been BOO'D it is time for us to #BooItForward.  Walmart is a great place to load up on goodies and treats to secretly leave at a friend's front door.  They've even dedicated a special Ghostbusters themed area of their website sponsored by American Greetings, Skittles, Snickers, Kellogg's and Sony Pictures that can help people make the perfect BOO kit to support this fast-growing, good spirited tradition.  Get on the BOO-wagon and visit Walmart.com/BooItForward. Who are you gonna BOO?!

We made sure to Boo It Forward by filling up a jack-o-lantern bucket filled with a variety of Halloween themed trinkets and treats.  Under the cover of darkness my son and daughter crept up to the house of one of their classmates quietly leaving the bundle of treats by the door we know she exits each morning for her walk to school.  I'm sure someone being BOO'D is going to be the topic everyone is talking about in their class tomorrow morning and my son and daughter are so excited to be a part of this Halloween secret.

Enjoy the Halloween season everyone! Share the fun! Boo It Forward!

Enjoy Halloween With The Care Bears

Care Bears: Mystery in Care-A-Lot DVD Giveaway

Halloween has always been one of my favorite times of the year and as a parent I've really enjoyed celebrating the occasion with my children.  Of course when children are younger it often needs to be more about having a festive time rather than a spooky one.  With that in mind and as a #ShareYourCare Ambassador, I wanted to share with our readers who have little ones at home a fun, non-scary way to enjoy Halloween with your children by including the Care Bears as part of your festivities.  So A Geek Daddy is giving away to 2 lucky readers Care Bears: Mystery in Care-A-Lot, a Halloween themed adventure story on DVD.

Join the Care Bears in this Halloween-themed adventure filled with friendship and good cheer. The Bears show the power of caring and sharing as they transform bad dreams into sweet ones, solve the mystery of the legendary Scare Bear, and save Care-a-Lot from turning into Grump-a-Lot in this delightful collection that kids and their families will love!

For a chance to win Care Bears: Mystery in Care-A-Lot you  must be a U.S. or Canadian resident over 18 years old and submit the following entry methods prior to 11:59 pm EST on Friday October 16, 2015.  All valid entries will be assigned a number in the order they are received and one number will be  selected to determine the winner using random.org.  E-mails will only be used to contact the winner and deleted following the selection of our 2 winners.  It will be attempted to have DVDs hopefully delivered prior to Halloween to our prize winners.  To help in providing quick delivery, winners must respond to the notification sent to them within 48 hours or a new winner will be selected.

UPDATE:  Congratulations Amber from Easton, Maryland & Lauren from Howell, Michigan on winning the Care Bears DVDs.

E-MAIL (1 Entry) send thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com your name and mailing address. Email subject line should be CARE BEARS.

TWITTER (1 Entry) -- Follow @Geekdad248 on Twitter and tweet the following message:

Hey @Geekdad248  #ShareTheCare by sending #CareBears Mystery in Care-a-Lot my way from #ageekdaddy blog http://goo.gl/2k6iOs #ad

FACEBOOK (2 Entries) -- Visit our Facebook page and share on THIS post what your favorite Halloween memory is.

While you are waiting for the winners to be announced, have some fun with this Care Bears coloring page.  For more information about the Care Bears: Mystery in Care-A-Lot DVD, CLICK HERE.



Stay up to date on all the latest news about the Care Bears by visiting www.CareBears.com, following @CareBearsFriend on Twitter or liking the Care Bears Facebook page.

DISCLAIMER:  A Geek Daddy Blog will select a random winner ( 2 winners will be selected from a random draw of all eligible entries - each submitted entry will be assigned a number and a random number will be drawn to select a winner based upon total entries ).  By participating in this contest you waive any liability towards A Geek Daddy Blog or its publisher that may arise from your involvement with this promotion. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.  A Geek Daddy Blog is hosting this giveaway as a benefit to our readers.  Information for this post was provided by GennCom LLC.  A Geek Daddy Blog did receive the featured product in exchange for writing this blog post but received no financial compensation.  GennComm LLC s is responsible for the delivery of the prizes in this promotion. Opinions expressed in this post are my own.

FUN FALL ACTIVITIES

Just because for many of us the weather begins to get brisk during the Fall season doesn't mean your family can't be outside enjoying itself.  From apple orchard trips to themed 5k runs to visits to haunted houses there are more fun things to do in the Fall than I can try to count.  That being said, I joined with my friends from the Social Fabric Blogger Network to try and list as many fall family friendly activities as we could all come up with taking place across the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom.  Enjoy checking out all these great blog posts and if you have a favorite Fall activity or event not mentioned below, feel free to plug it in this post's comment section so we can all learn about it!

USA

Arizona

• East Valley - Experiencing Parenthood
• Phoenix - Meatloaf and Melodrama
• Tucson - Desert Chica

California

• Escalon - The Naptime Reviewer
• Sacramento - Gluesticks
• Santa Clarita - This Talk Ain't Cheap

Connecticut

• Northwestern Connecticut - The Momma Diaries

Florida

• Fort Myers - Flour on my Face
• Pensacola - Just a Little Creativity
• South Florida - Huppie Mama
• Tampa Bay Area - Stacey Homemaker

Georgia

• Atlanta - Married Filing Jointly

Hawaii

• Honolulu - Communikait

Illinois

• Chicago - Kids are a Trip
• Chicago - Tiaras & Tantrums

Indiana

• Northeast Indiana - The Teel House

Iowa

• Central Iowa - A Journey to Thin

Kansas

• Kansas City - Mama Plus One

Kentucky

• Louisville, Lexington & Frankfort - Hobbies on a Budget

Louisiana

• Baton Rouge - The Mama Zone

Massachusetts

• Boston - Feathers and Stripes

Michigan

• Ann Arbor - Ann Arbor with Kids
• Detroit - A Geek Daddy

Minnesota

• Minneapolis - The Real Housewives of Minnesota

Nebraska

• Omaha - Mom on the Side

New Hampshire

• Upper Valley Region - Scrappy Geek

New York

• Albany - Just Another Mom

North Carolina

• Piedmont - It Happens in a Blink

Ohio

• Cleveland - I Need a Playdate
• Columbus - Mission to Save
• Northern Miami Valley - Home & Garden Cafe

Pennsylvania

• Philadelphia Suburbs - A Grande Life
• Philadelphia Suburbs - Mamma Bear's World
• Philadelphia Suburbs - Mama Cheaps
• Pittsburgh - Third Stop on the Right

Rhode Island

• Providence - Tall Mom Tiny Baby
• Providence & Surrounding Areas - Mama Luvs Books

South Carolina

• Jefferson - An Alli Event

Tennessee

• East Tennessee - Creative Southern Home
• Nashville - Family Focus Blog

Texas

• Dallas/Fort Worth - DFW Images
• Dallas/Fort Worth - Julie is Coco and Cocoa
• Dallas/Fort Worth - Momma DJane
• Fort Worth - Mommie....Again
• Northwest Texas - For What It's Worth
• San Antonio - House of Fauci's
• San Antonio - Ramblings of a Marine Wife

Utah

• Salt Lake City - The Ranting Latina

Virginia

• New River Valley - Pursuit of Pink

Washington

• Seattle - Not Just a Mommy

CANADA

London, Ontario - Creative Cynchronicity

Toronto, Ontario - Teddy Out-Ready

 UK

Yorkshire - JuggleMum  

 #Fall4SoFab

5 Interesting Facts About Strawberry Shortcake

I am a member of the Fox Home Entertainment Insiders blogger program and receive complimentary products for reviews and giveaways.

In recognition of our friends at Fox Home Entertainment releasing a new DVD of Strawberry Shortcake tales, I'm sharing some interesting trivia about the adorable red headed girl and her berry best friends plus a fun coloring page for A Geek Daddy blog readers to enjoy.  Here are five interesting facts that you might not know about Strawberry Shortcake:

1. Strawberry Shortcake and her cat, Custard, were designed by greeting card illustrator Muriel Fahrion in 1977 and were part of  a popular line of greeting cards for American Greetings' Juvenile & Humorous card department featuring the characters. 
2. Strawberry Shortcake toys appeared in 1979 when American Greetings licensed the rights to Kenner Toys who at that time also had the rights to another brand that was growing in popularity called Star Wars.  Kenner produced Strawberry Shortcake dolls that had hair that smelled like each character in the toy line,s fruit themed name until 1985, which also happens to be the same year that the toy manufacturer discontinued production of its line of Star Wars toys.
3. Strawberry Shortcake starred in an animated feature film called The Sweet Dreams Movie that was released on October 7, 2006 and played in select theaters across the United States.  Fox Home Entertainment released the movie on DVD in 2007.
4. From 1980 through 1985, back in the days when there were only a handful of stations you could watch on TV, Strawberry Shortcake and her gang of friends were featured in an annual television special.  Plum Puddin who is one of the main characters in the current run of Strawberry Shortcake animated programming including the newly released DVD Berry Tales was first introduced in the very first TV special as a boy.  The character then wasn't seen again in the television specials, toy line or any other licensed products until "he" was reintroduced as a "she" in 1984 with the introduction of a Plum Puddin  doll by Kenner and inclusion in that year's annual television special.
5. American Greetings sold the ownership rights to Strawberry Shortcake in February of this year to Iconix Brand Group for $105 million dollars.   Iconix purchases ownership of iconic brands then manages their licensing to manufacturers, retailers, and television, movie and video game producers.  Some well known brands also owned by Iconix include Joe Boxer, London Fog, Ocean Pacific, The Sharper Image, Starter, and Umbro.  In 2010, Iconix partnered with the Charles M. Schulz family to acquire all the assets related to the Peanuts comic strip from its longtime owner United Media creating a new company to manage this brand called Peanuts Worldwide which is 80% owned by Iconix and 20% owned by Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates.  A 3D animated Peanuts Movie is being released at theaters across the USA on November 6, 2015.

On August 11, 2015, Fox Home Entertainment released on DVD some brand new animated adventures that provide a strawberry twist to some berry well know fairy tales.  Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Tales features some of my daughter's favorite bed time stories and if you have a little princess at home this is sure to delight her.  I'm sure little boys at home would enjoy it too.  This 71 minute long DVD is rated G and features three stories.featuring Strawberry Shortcake and her cast of friends. Please download and print out this fun Strawberry Shortcake coloring page from the DVD to enjoy:


In Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Tales, Plum Puddin learns to believe in herself when putting on a small and simple play for a young audience during the tale of "Snowberry and the Seven Berrykins".  The next tale is "Berryella and Prince Berry Charming" which focuses on guy friend Huck agreeing to act in a production of this berry tale then quickly realizing that he'd be happier working behind the scenes.  Finally in "The Littlest Berrykin" Strawberry, Lemon, and Raspberry star as three princesses on a quest to rule a kingdom that realize during their adventure that they can never succeed without kindness and generosity.

Fun Facts About The Animated Movie HOME & Kids Activity Sheets

I am a member of the Fox Home Entertainment Insiders blogger program and receive complimentary products for reviews and giveaways.

The animated feature film HOME is now available to purchase via Digital Download and will be released July 28, 2015 on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD.  In DreamWorks Animation's HOME, Oh, a loveable misfit from another planet meets a girl named Tip.  The two unlikely friends embark on a great journey...the journey HOME. Directed by Tim Johnson (Over The Hedge, Antz), HOME features the voice talents of Golden Globe® and Emmy® winner Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory, The Muppets), Grammy® winner Rihanna (Battleship), Oscar® and Emmy® winner Steve Martin (The Pink Panther, Father of the Bride) and Golden Globe® nominee Jennifer Lopez (American Idol, Maid In Manhattan).   The movie also features a soundtrack with musical performances by Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez.

Here are 6 fun facts to keep in mind and look for while enjoying this film:

• HOME is based upon the book "The True Meaning of Smekday" by Adam Rex.  You can see the characters Tip and Oh reading the book in the end credits. In the book "The True Meaning of Smekday" Oh's name is actually J.Lo which was changed for the movie maybe because Jennifer Lopez, whose nickname is also J.Lo , voice's Tip's mother in the movie and performs the title track "Feel the Light."

• "Feel the Light" opens with the familiar chords used to communicate with aliens in the 1977 movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

• In the convenience store scene if you look closely you'll see a box of cheesy dibbles the snacks loved by the Penguins of Madagascar.

• The Boov eat metal and other everyday objects humans wouldn't consider as food.  During the final party scene one of the Boov has a drink with a screwdriver in it ... get it a screwdriver a pun on the cocktail made from vodka and orange juice.

• The Boov can change colors based upon their emotions but their primary color is purple.  Not all Boov are the same shade of purple though.  There are seven shades of the "normal" Boov skin tone shown in the movie which is a nod to "The True Meaning of Smekday."  In Adam Rex's book there are seven different genders making up the alien Boov race.

• The headlights and grill on the flying car, Slushious, that Tip and Oh use on their journey change color to mimic joy, fear, sadness, and terror.

As a Fox Home Entertainment Insider, A Geek Daddy Blog has been provided with some fun kids activity sheets and bookmarks based upon the movie HOME to share with our readers. We hope you have some fun with these!

Free Swag at Comic Book Shops in June from DC Entertainment

 

Wednesdays are New Comic Book Day each week every month throughout the year.  To help keep customers regularly coming through retail store doors and to assist publishers with managing their workload and production the distribution of new comic book issues are scheduled so that releases are evenly spread out throughout the month hitting store shelves on Wednesday.  So comic fans are guaranteed that on most Wednesdays they'll be able to find something brand new to pick up and read if they swing by their neighborhood comic book store.

DC Entertainment has had their comic book series on hiatus in April and May this year as they've focused efforts on promoting several mini-series tied together through a storyline called Convergence during that time span.  At the conclusion of the two month Convergence campaign, 25 of DC's popular monthly titles that existed before the Convergence event will continue again at the point where they left off at in March 2015 plus 24 brand new monthly series will begin with their first issues in June.  To promote the return of fan favorite titles like Batman, The Flash, Superman, and Wonder Woman plus kick off the new serials featuring characters such as Black Canary, Starfire and Bat-Mite, each Wednesday in June DC Entertainment will be giving away FREE swag like posters, temporary tattoos, and cardboard super hero masks at participating retailers.

On June 3rd, DC Entertainment will be distributing Justice League Darkseid vs. Anti-Monitor 11” x 17” posters with art by Jason Fabok; Batman Beyond paper masks; Bat-Mite temporary tattoos; and Bizarro temporary tattoos.

June 10th will feature a Batman 11” x 17” armor blueprint poster; Harley Quinn masks; Starfire 5” x 7” postcards; and Gotham Academy crest stickers.

The promo items for June 17 will be  Justice League Of America 22” x 34” posters with art by Bryan Hitch; Black Canary 11” x 17” concert posters; Robin: Son of Batman paper domino masks; and Prez bumper stickers.

Wrapping up the month on June 24th will be a Superman Daily Planet Replica edition; Grayson Spyral ID cards; We Are…Robin temporary tattoos; and Batgirl paper masks.

Look for these free promotional items on New Comic Book Day each week throughout the month of June.  These aren't extravagant but still these fun little items will probably thrill most kids and put smiles on their faces. I know my kids always love temporary tattoos and would have a lot of fun playing around with these character masks. Oh, and I think that Darkseid poster is pretty darn cool myself!  CLICK HERE to find a comic book shop near you.

Win a Fun T-shirt Courtesy of SHIRTS.COM

You have to admit no matter how old ... or young ... a person is a fun t-shirt is a staple for any wardrobe.  Unless enjoying a vacation and looking for a cool souvenir, shopping for t-shirts at stores unfortunately often can be a real drag as it is  difficult to find that awesome perfect shirt you really want when you want it because you're not lucky enough to stumble upon an eye catching design, a size that fits, or a price that isn't ridiculously high.  I recently discovered SHIRTS.COM and can say problem solved!
Hey shirts.com has a t-shirt that combines Star Wars and Bacon....you know they had me at Darth Vader!

Shirts.com allows you to select online from a wide selection of fun t-shirts from a variety of categories like Funny, Vintage and Cheap for men, women, girls and boys.  The Cheap Shirts section though aren't tacky or crappy rather it has a selection of fun shirts that are like finding a good deal on a clearance item rack that is actually something that fits you and you'd want to wear.  I dare you to say this R2-D2 shirt from the Cheap Shirts section is tacky. It's Geek Chic!

Our family recently ordered several t-shirts from shirts.com - they had something for everyone: a retro School House Rock shirt for me, My Little Pony for my little princess, How To Train Your Dragon for my son, and a Wally World one for my wife who says our family vacation are always like a National Lampoons movie - and we love them.  So we're going to share the love with one lucky A Geek Daddy blog reader and provide a $25 credit so you can pick out your own fun t-shirt from SHIRTS.COM to enjoy!

Just follow the instructions below before Sunday, March 29, 2015 @ 11:59pm EST to enter and earn up to four entries:

UPDATE: Congrats to our winner Sean from Gig Harbor, Washington.

 EMAIL (1 ENTRY) - Email thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com with your name, mailing address with subject line FUN TSHIRTS.

TWEET (1 ENTRY) - Tweet a message to @Geeky_Dad saying "I want to win this t-shirt from SHIRTS.COM" with the link to the shirt from the shirt.com website and hashtag #tshirtlove
  
FACEBOOK (2 ENTRIES) - Leave a comment on this giveaway post identifying which t-shirt you'd like to win from shirt.com and a link to the shirt from their website.

From my perspective, I appreciate this website because they have a large inventory of SciFi/Superhero shirts to select from including Back to the Future, Batman, Marvel, Star Trek, and Star Wars.  My wife noted that each shirt's description on the website has a Softness Rating and she said it was dead on when it came to our experience with the website that apparently was her favorite thing.  She really is right on that point as my son's shirt was listed as 10/10 on the Softness Rating and it is soooo soft!!!  From my kids' perspective they really liked getting shirts tied to brands they love (My Little Ponies / Dreamworks How To Train Your Dragon) and that it was fun to get something in the mail. It's nice that shirts.com offers a reasonable flat rate for standard shipping (4-8 days delivery) at $2.99 for your entire order.

Shirts.com is part of a trio of online shopping websites with a fun theme which also includes HalloweenCostumes.com, which lets kids and adults get into the spirit of the holiday or get dressed up for that that masquerade ball or themed party that pops up sometime during the rest of the year, and Fun.com, which sells novelty gifts that let people appreciate and enjoy the geeky side of life.

From our family's experience with SHIRTS.COM they get A GEEK DADDY nod of approval for the convenience and selection offered by the website, reliable manner the company conducted itself, and the quality of products we received.  Check them out at www.shirts.com.

Disclaimer & Rules:

You must be a US resident to enter over the age of 18. A Geek Daddy Blog will select a random winner on  Monday, March 30, 2015 ( 1 winner will be selected from a random draw of all eligible entries - each submitted entry will be assigned a number and a random number will be drawn to select a winner based upon total entries ).  A Geek Daddy Blog will be responsible for selecting the winner of this contest, but SHIRTS.COM  is responsible for fulfillment and delivery of the prize. By participating in this contest you agree to allow your email address to be forwarded to SHIRTS.COM if you are selected as the winner so they may contact you about redeeming your prize.  You also waive any liability towards A Geek Daddy Blog or its publisher that may arise from your involvement with this promotion. A Geek Daddy Blog hosted this contest and blog post based upon SHIRTS.COM providing the prize to the selected winner.  Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.  No P.O. Boxes are allowed as mailing addresses. A Geek Daddy Blog is hosting this giveaway as a benefit to our readers. A Geek Daddy Blog did not receive financial compensation for this post but did receive 4 free t-shirts from SHIRTS.COM for the publisher's personal use.  The thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are that of the publisher of this blog and not that of the prize sponsor. E-mails received from those not selected as the prize winner will not be forwarded to the prize sponsor or any other third party and deleted at the conclusion of the promotion.

Best Tips for a Fun Day on the Sledding Hill

It has been a mild winter until Mother Nature brought us more than 2 feet of snow and a few snow days off from work and school to go along with it this month.  Of course rather than stay huddled up in the house our family bundled up and traversed over to the neighborhood park for some sledding fun.  Here are a few tips to make sure your day out on the snowy slopes are a blast and not a bust:

 Know the Temperature Before You Go

The ideal temperature is 29 to 30 degrees - you really don't want to sled on ice or snow but rather water.  Yes WATER!!!  At that temperature the friction from your sled should melt the snow to create a thin film of water on which to sail down the hill.  This will help you get the fastest speeds out of your sled.

Don't believe me?  Think of ice skaters.  They place their weight on the blades of a skate which creates pressure on ice briefly melting its surface so the skater can move quickly over a thin layer of water which is much smoother than the ice itself.  Wow you just have to love physics!

When it comes to snow, you aren't looking for fluffy or grainy but rather flaky.  The large flakes that originate when it snows at temperatures between 25 and 28 degrees compacts the best for sledding.

Make sure before you go out that you check both the temperature and wind chill factor.  Be cautious of hypothermia and frostbite that can come on quickly and without a lot of warning in the cold.  Kids should always be properly dressed to avoid skin contact with snow and frigid air.  If you see a child shivering that means it is time to come inside out of the cold to warm up.  CLICK HERE for a ton of useful information regarding cold weather injuries that impact children from aboutkidshealth.

Know Your Hill

While a little friction will help your slide down the hill, gravity is what really gets you going.  So the steepness of the hill has the biggest impact on how fast you can get racing down it.

Being familiar with a hill's surroundings in advance will be a great help in knowing of obstacles and hazards to avoid that may be hidden by snow until some unfortunate sledder crashes into them.  Knowing in advance where a ditch, tree stump, pond, or fire hydrant may be located is a proactive way to avoid a problem later.  We go sledding on a hill at a local park that we also frequent during the summer so that we're pretty familiar with the landscape and surrounding even when everything is covered in snow.

A used path provides the best path.  Riders who take turns and share space will have the best compacted snow for a smooth, fast ride down the hill.  Don't walk back up the hill on your sledding path as you want to keep the track smooth and not interfere with oncoming sledders (which is a concept I just can't seem to get to stick in my son's head).

Know your preferred hill in advance also helps know what type of sled is the best to bring with you.  Snow discs and inflatable tubes are best for wide open lazy slopped surfaces because you can't control their direction and these have a tendency to fly up in the air when hitting bumps.  For steeper surfaces and more confined spaces traditional sled designs and toboggans are more well suited.  Never using a plastic sheet, cardboard box or cafeteria tray as a make shift sled is a common warning you'll get from health care professionals when it comes to sledding.


Safety First

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics more than 20,000 kids per year end up in the emergency room with injuries from sledding each year.  No one wants to dampen a good time with a visit to an emergency room so make sure to make safety a priority when on the sledding hill.  While sledding down a hill head first may be a thrill, that is the number one no-no pediatricians have when they warn about dangers associated with sledding.  Sled with feet forward so if a collision occurs a head injury is less likely.  Pediatricians also recommend children under 5 should ride with an adult.

Conduct a walk through of the landing area before kids start sledding into it to make sure there aren't any hidden hazards like fallen tree branches, trash, fences or any other obstacle that could be hidden under the snow and cause a collision.

Make sure kids know not to crash into one another and to avoid walking or sledding into the path of others whether going up or down the hill.  Insuring children know how to ditch a sled if they believe they are going to collide with another sled or an obstacle like a tree is also important.  The best way to get off is to roll off sideways and let the sled keep going versus trying to jump out or stop the sled with hands or feet.

Parental supervision and PARTICIPATION is always important!

Don't hide from winter, embrace it! Grab a sled and go have some fun in the snowy weather!

Our Echo Adventure

When I got home from work the other day my phone started acting up showing these weird images and what looked like maps.  So I stepped out on the front porch to try getting better reception and that is when things really started to get weird...this little creature appeared on my screen and appeared to be trying to communicate with me.     I called out to my 5 year old twins to come out and take a look at this!

The images appearing on my phone seemed to be a map leading towards the neighborhood park down the street from our house.  The kids and I decided to take a stroll over to the park to check things out.  When we arrived the little creature popped back up on the screen and through a series of beeps, clicks and whistles urged us towards the park's playscape.

I encouraged my kids to go investigate.  They cautiously crept up the stairs to the playscape's upper level.  Then I heard a shout out from up top - hey Dad there's something up here!

We found two little creatures hiding in the playscape.  My daughter laughed out "those look like the alien from the movie Echo" and asked if they could take them home.  Yes, we can adopt them I replied.

My kids ran around the park showing their echos how earth children play.  They swung on the swings, slid down the slides, and chased each other in a game of tag.

Then we flew home for dinner where my kids shared with our new adopted family members their favorite meal - spaghetti & meatballs.

Thank you to Fox Home Entertainment for providing my kids with these great Echo plush toys.  Over the last few days these echos have watched my daughter's ballet practice, cheered on my son at his soccer game, enjoyed dinner at a restaurant, observed my carving a toothless Halloween pumpkin, and cuddled up on the couch with my kids to watch a few movies.  Speaking of movies, we received these toys as part of Fox Home Entertainment's promotion of the Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Download release of "Earth to Echo."

EARTH TO ECHO is a tale told through the eyes of Tuck, Munch and Alex, a trio of pals who make an out-of-this world discovery.  The best friends venture out of their neighborhood to find the true meaning of friendship.  After receiving signals on their phones, they meet Echo, a small but amazing energetic alien trying to make his way back to his home planet.  As they race to help their new friend, the boys will discover that little Echo has touched their hearts in unexpected ways and changed their lives forever.

If you would like to create your own echo adventure on your smart phone I downloaded a FREE  app off of iTunes.  Just open the app and point your phone's camera at the DVD's cover artwork and the special effects will automatically appear on your screen.  CLICK HERE to download the "Earth to Echo" augmented reality app.  Through a little creativity, acting and this app, I really was able to prank my kids and provide them with a special treat.

For more information about the movie, visit: www.callhimecho.com

DISCLAIMER:  A Geek Daddy Blog did not receive any financial compensation for this post but is a member of the Fox Home Entertainment Insiders Blogger program which provides this site with free movies for reviews and giveaways, and occasional other perks like these Earth to Echo toys, in exchange for promotional opportunities with our audience.

#adoptecho #echoinsiders